Ilya Fishman

Ilya Fishman

MATRx® Full Body Specialist

Ilya has spent the last decade working in the field of fitness and health. Playing competitive basketball in his youth created a lifelong love of fitness and most importantly the need to have optimal fitness to thrive in life. He knew to fully achieve total success in athletics or life, the body had to be trained to a peak level of performance.

After entering the fitness field in 2009 he quickly realized that he needed more tools to truly find success with his clients and his introduction to MAT® in 2010 gave him just the tool he was looking for. He began the MAT® internship in 2011 and in the last 7 years not only did he become one of the few MATRx® practitioners in the world but ran a successful fitness and MAT® practice in San Francisco. His dream was always to work at the HQ with Greg Roskopf and in Fall of 2018 he was extended an opportunity to join the MAT® HQ in Denver.

Ilya brings a unique blend of fitness expertise and MAT® skill. He combines the two to create a more powerful result that has not only positive short-term changes, but also long-term success.

When he isn’t working, Ilya loves to take his road bike out on long rides.

“Trust me — I’m a doctor. But seriously, I’m a physician who had a terrible rock-climbing accident that left me with spinal injuries and multiple joint injuries. It’s one thing to dissect cadavers in medical school, and quite another to find yourself with one leg paralyzed and the other with the kneecap torn loose!

After recovering from surgery and over the course of the subsequent years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with various personal trainers, physical therapists, massage therapists, yoga teachers, Pilates trainers and more — so I eventually got pretty good at telling who the skilled practitioners were.

Ilya Fishman is one of those rare individuals; in fact I would say he has a special gift for the work that he does. He is quite personable and very knowledgeable about anatomy and kinesiology. He knows which specific exercises to choose and when to introduce them as his clients make progress.

He is a skilled trainer, who uses a unique modality called Muscle Activation Techniques®. The approach is different from what I have seen before with traditional training, and it is better. A scientific approach to functional body work, MAT™ is an evolutionary step in the right direction.

When I began training with him, I saw instant changes in my muscular strength and coordination. I made more progress with Ilya than I had with many other forms of exercise therapy, and after I was doing well on my own, I continued to refer many of my patients to him for help.

A talented professional with a great passion for his work, Ilya gets my highest recommendation.” – Dr. Adrian Bartoli

“I had the great fortune of training with Ilya for about a year. Due to a previous shoulder injury, i needed a professional that could help me improve my weak/injured areas, get overall stronger and reach higher levels of performance. Through Ilya’s focused and targeted efforts and guidance, I was able to overcome my key injury and reach strength levels I had not experienced in 10 years! I’m very grateful for the results and dedication that Ilya brought to all of our sessions!” – Victor Torres

“There is no way for me to heap enough praise on Ilya for his work rehabilitating my back, reducing my pain, and giving me mobility back. His expertise in both MAT® and MATRx® has been truly life-changing.

History: 15 years ago, I had three ruptured discs in my lower back (L3/4/5) and a diagnosis from an osteopath of “degenerative disc disease”. Before finding Ilya, I had embarked on 10+ years of physical, occupational, and sports therapy, plus chiropractic and acupuncture treatments – none of which had long-terms success. Then in 2013, I was introduced to Ilya and MAT® at the Bay Club in San Francisco and that all changed.

Ilya was able to quickly assess my issues and create a custom treatment plan. MAT® seemed counter-intuitive because it doesn’t necessarily treat the parts that hurt. Ilya patiently explained the MAT® philosophy of treating the mechanics of the problem holistically, not just the parts experiencing pain.

Ilya started with MAT® (and eventually MATRx®) and slowly incorporated strength training, until strength was the primary focus. He also recommended a dietician, and that further improved my condition. The results have been literally life-changing.

I can’t recommend Ilya more highly and only wish I had found him and MAT® earlier. He’s highly skilled and highly professional, and I hope others can enjoy the same results.” – Aaron Edelberg